


The Partner Project

by thespacecowboy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:29:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9596552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespacecowboy/pseuds/thespacecowboy
Summary: After one too many inter-house fights, Dumbledore comes up with a new way to bring the houses together.-Repost from FF.net





	1. Chapter 1

The 7th of November was a day unlike any other Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had ever seen. Were one to wander the grounds of the castle, and the halls themselves they would find a notable lack of presence. The corridors were deserted, and dormitories were empty because all the pupils had been gathered in the Great Hall and were awaiting the headmaster Albus Dumbledore to address them. The hall was filled with the quiet murmurs of students trying to guess why the headmaster had gathered them together, and in a corner of the Gryffindor table five girls sat huddled together whispering their own suggestions.

"My guess is everyone gets reprimanded about inter-house unity then we all get to leave" whispered 7th year Katie Bell as she took a sip of the pumpkin juice in front of her. Katie was seated with her fellow 7th year chasers Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, 6th year Hermione Granger, and 5th year Ginny Weasley. Being opinionated Gryffindor girls and having all had to deal with grief from Weasley men at some point, the five had formed a bond and quickly became as close as sisters.

"No way Katie!" Angelina exclaimed attracting the attention of some other students sitting close by. She smiled apologetically at them and turned back to her friends. "This is the seventh house related fight in the last two months. There's no way Dumbledore's gonna let us get away with another warning."

"She's right" Ginny chimed in. "He's already given us three warnings about fighting with other houses. What's that thing muggles like to say? Three swings and you're out?"

"I think you mean three strikes and you're out" interjected Hermione with a laugh. Before the girls could continue their conversation, Dumbledore walked up to the podium and cleared his throat to gain the attention of his pupils. The room immediately lapsed into silence and everyone had turned to face their headmaster.

"Good evening students" Dumbledore began with a small smile. "I believe you all have some idea as to why I've gathered you here today. The altercation that happened today between Gryffindor and Slytherin pupils is the 7th of such that has occurred in the last two months, and as you should all understand this is unacceptable. Though you may be sorted into separate houses at the end of the day you are all Hogwarts students, and it's time you started acting as such. Your Heads of Houses and I have spent the last few hours trying to come up with a solution to this issue and after much deliberation we've come up with what I like to call, The Partner Project." Dumbledore paused for a minute and the hall was immediately filled with whispers between students.

"What the hell is the Partner Project" Alicia Spinnet asked looking confused. It seemed she wasn't the only one with this question as most students in the Great Hall looked confused or worried. Even the Slytherins, who had mastered the art of looking apathetic and uninterested, were alert and paying attention. As the noise in the hall increased, Dumbledore tapped his wand against his throat twice before putting it on the stand and facing his pupils.

"Silence" he boomed, capturing everyone's attention once again. "The Partner Project is something your professors and I designed to strengthen inter-house unity and create a collective sense of Hogwarts student identity, rather than enforce the boundaries between houses. Your Heads of Houses and I have devised a list of the name of every pupil in the 5th, 6th and 7th years and as of tomorrow we will pair you with a pupil of the same year from a different house. This pupil will become your partner for the next 3 months and you will be required to spend time with them every day. Your schedules will change to accommodate your partner, and every pair will be taking all their classes together including any spare periods. Pairs that excel together will be rewarded with house points, while those who fail to cooperate will be punished accordingly." As soon as Dumbledore finished talking and sat down at the Head Table, the Great Hall was filled with angry protests from students.

"Why've we got to share our spares with them?" shouted Fred Weasley angrily standing up.

"Just wait till my father hears about this!" huffed Draco Malfoy from his spot at the Slytherin table. At the Gryffindor table, Angelina, Katie, Hermione, and Ginny were all complaining about the implications of Dumbledore's new project, but Alicia was looking at it from a different angle.

"Girls! Do you know what this means?" Alicia asked excitedly slamming her hands down on the table to get her friends attention.

"Hell yes I do" said Angelina frowning while observing the other tables. "It means were either gonna get stuck with a pushover Hufflepuff, a nerdy Ravenclaw, or God forbid a Slytherin."

"Well yes" said Alicia hesitantly, seeming to deflate for a second "But it also means that I could spend the next three months attached at the hip to Cedric Diggory!" Alicia squealed, perking up instantly. "Can you imagine spending all your time with someone as good looking as Cedric? I can't imagine anyone considering that a punishment." The other girls stared at her incredulously for a moment before Katie snorted and they all burst into laughter.

"Only you would come to that conclusion Leesh" said Hermione lightly bumping her shoulder against Alicia's.

"I can't help it" said Alicia with a grin. "I'm an optimist."

"More like desperate for a man" said Ginny still giggling. "Hopefully we'll all get someone decent" she said still smiling at her friends.

"Here's to getting a good partner and not getting a Slytherin" Katie said raising her glass to which the other girls all clinked their glasses against hers. Professor McGonagall stepped forward to announce that all students were dismissed, and that the lists of partners would be posted in each common room the following morning. The girls got up and followed the crowd of students back to the Gryffindor common room. When they gave the Fat Lady the password and entered, they were met with pandemonium. Most Gryffindor's were gathered in the common room and were still loudly protesting The Partner Project.

"I'm going to head up to the dorm, is anyone else coming?" Hermione asked, frowning at her housemates poor attitudes.

"Yeah I think I'll come too" said Ginny stretching out her back "It's been a long day". The other girls agreed, and the five quickly made their way up the stairs and into their dorm to get ready for bed. After the lights were turned off, and the girls were in their beds the room was filled with a nervous silence as they were all lost in their thoughts about the Partner Project.

"Cheer up girls" Angelina said into the dark. "How bad could it possibly be?" Her question was met with silence and the girls quickly fell asleep lost in their own thoughts.

At precisely 7:21am on Saturday November 8th, the entire Gryffindor House was woken up by Ginny Weasley's scream of anger.


	2. Chapter 2

When Adrian Pucey woke up, it was not because of the screams of Ginerva Weasley, but rather the rays of sunlight that had filtered in through his dormitory's windows. Unable to force himself to get up, he kept his eyes closed and listened to the sounds that filled the room he shared with his four best friends: the soft sound of Marcus' snores, and the rustling of Terence's sheets that came from his inability to sleep in one spot for more than five minutes. When the rumbling in his stomach became impossible to ignore, Adrian sat up and looked around the room. Blaise had always been an early riser, and so it came as no surprise that his bed was already made and empty but he couldn't say the same for the rest of the boys as they were all still fast asleep. Sometime during the night, Draco had kicked his bed sheets off, and they were dangling precariously close to the edge. Adrian sighed before grabbing them and throwing them on top of Draco's sleeping form as he left the room. When he reached the stairs to the common room, he noticed there were a number of Slytherin's clustered around the wall closest to the entrance reading something. Adrian approached and quickly realized it was the list of partners that Dumbledore had mentioned the night before. As the group surrounding the list was mostly 6th year Slytherin girls Adrian thought his best bet to see the list anytime soon would be charm rather than force.

"Excuse me ladies" Adrian said smiling at the girls who were crowded in front of him. They immediately lapsed into giggles, with more than one turning bright red from the power of his smile alone before parting like the Red Sea so he was free to scan the list. The first thing Adrian noticed was that Dumbledore seemed to have made it a priority to pair Gryffindors and Slytherins together, while Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were paired. His eyes drifted to the 7th year pairs and he leisurely scanned for his own name, while looking at some of the other pairings. When he found Marcus' name beside Katie Bell's he scoffed at the thought of how excited Marcus would at the prospect tormenting the tiny blonde for three months. A couple of spaces down, Adrian finally found his own name neatly written alongside his partners.

_Adrian Pucey & Angelina Johnson_

By noon, word had got out that Dumbledore had called another mandatory assembly, and the students were once again seated at their tables awaiting his address. The Hall was filled with noisy chatter as most people had already figured out who their partners were and were discussing the new information with their friends. At the Slytherin table, the boys had mixed reactions about the program. As Adrian had earlier predicted, Marcus was ecstatic at the fact that Katie was his partner, and spent most of the morning grinning wolfishly at her whenever they would make eye contact. Marcus had gotten his teeth fixed over the summer, so his grin was nowhere near as frightening as it had once been, but Katie still looked visibly unsettled.

"A Weasley!" Blaise exclaimed slamming his goblet down on the table. "Can you believe they stuck me with a Weasley?"

"Better a Weasley than a mudblood" Draco hissed glaring at the back of Hermione's head. "Weaselette may be the lowest of the low, but at least she's a pureblood."

"Cheer up lads" Adrian said ruffling Draco's hair from his spot beside him at the table. "It's not all bad".

"He's right" chimed in Marcus breaking his staring contest with the back of Bell's head. "We could have been stuck with Puffs or Ravenclaws."

"Easy for you to say" hissed Blaise still fuming about his partner. "At least you've got lookers. We all know there are a hundred men here who would be thrilled to have Bell or Johnson as partners".

"Can someone PLEASE tell me who Alicia Spinnet is?" Terence asked exasperatedly for at least the 20th time that morning.

"For fuck sake!" Marcus exclaimed irritated. "Only a daft twit like you would fail to notice someone we've played Quidditch against a hundred times. She's right there between Bell and Weasley" Marcus huffed turning Terence's head to look in the right direction.

"Ohhhhhh. You meant Alicia Spinnet!" Terence said grinning at the thought of spending three months with the beautiful brunette. Granted, she was another high and mighty Gryffindor and her friends did treat Slytherins as though they were no better than the dirt under their shoes, but Terence figured if he could get her to stay quiet for as long as possible, the experience might not be so bad.

"Good morning students" Dumbledore said as he approached the podium and faced his pupils. "I understand that by now most of you will have had the opportunity to figure out who your new partners are. I called you here today to distribute your new schedules and remind you that despite any personal feelings about your partners, this program is mandatory and you will be required to participate". Dumbledore flicked his wand and every 5th, 6th, and 7th year student was instantly presented with a copy of their schedule that had their name and their partners name written together in the top left corner. Dumbledore gave the students a moment to look at their revised schedules before continuing his speech. "I hope you all understand that this program is not simply a way to strengthen inter-house unity, but also to help you form new friendships and understandings of people you may never have spoken with under regular circumstances". He stopped for a moment and smiled at his students before continuing with a noticeable twinkle in his eyes. "Perhaps this may also be an opportunity for some of you to find more than friendship." The hall immediately filled with the whispers of students, some excited and some still angry that they were being forced to participate. As soon as Dumbledore announced that the assembly was over, and students were free to find their partners, the hall was lively with commotion as students made their way, some begrudgingly, to other house tables.

"Well" Adrian began standing up and stretching out his back, "we should probably go find our partners". The boys made their way past the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables and it didn't take long to spot their partners huddled together in deep conversation at the Gryffindor table.

"Oi, Bell!" shouted Marcus, interrupting the girls conversation which resulted in them turning to notice the presence of their partners. "Let's go get to know each other." Marcus presented Katie with what could only be described as a leer, which turned into a full blown grin when she sighed wearily and got up from the table before following him out of the hall. Adrian decided to stay true to his Casanova reputation, and decided charm would be a better way to win his partner over and make the whole process easier.

"Angelina" he said with a smooth grin that seemed to have an effect on every girl in the immediate vicinity except its intended target who merely arched an eyebrow and took his offered hand.

"At least you're not Montague" she muttered as she got up and followed Adrian's lead out of the Great Hall. The looks Alicia and Terence were sending each other were almost embarrassing, and their friends were soon staring at them uncomfortably. Alicia came to her senses when she felt Ginny kick her roughly underneath the table and she interrupted her "eye sex" with Terence to briefly turn back to her younger friends.

"Are you girls gonna be okay?" Alicia asked pathetically attempting to sound concerned before immediately resuming eye contact with Terence.

"Honestly Alicia! Just go already" Hermione huffed bemusedly as Alicia and Terence were quickly away from the table leaving only Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and Blaise.

"Mudblood" Draco spat in greeting, smirking at Hermione.

"Ferret" she replied immediately not missing a beat.

Blaise and Ginny remained silent, and the quartet continued to glare at each other for a few seconds before Hermione and Ginny stomped off in one direction while Blaise and Draco headed back towards the Slytherin common room. Dumbledore sighed as he watched them from his spot at the head table. Their stubbornness would make the process more difficult than it needed to be for them, but since it was only the first day he hoped that they would follow the lead of their older friends and make some effort to engage with each other.


	3. Chapter 3

[Hermione and Draco]

Hermione Jane Granger had never been one to break rules, but desperate times called for desperate measures. After having spent the majority of the day listening to Draco Malfoy list off his family's accomplishments and explain how he was superior to all the other students at Hogwarts, Hermione had lost her patience and informed Draco that she was leaving to go to the washroom. She used the temporary absence to escape his boasting and had instead taken refuge in the restricted section of the library. As Hermione absentmindedly traced the spines of the books on the shelves around her she couldn't help but think about how she wished Dumbledore had never came up with the Partner Project at all. Hermione was a rational girl and appreciated the idea of inter house unity just as much as the next person, but what she didn't appreciate was the fact that Dumbledore had paired her with the least tolerant person in the whole school. In her six years at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy had done nothing but make her feel less than worthy and almost ashamed of her Muggle heritage. Hermione sighed as she plopped down on to the floor and watched a spider quickly scuttle underneath the dusty shelf. As much as she tried to be tolerant of him, everything about him seemed to irritate her recently especially the way he said -  
"Mudblood!" Draco called gleefully interrupting Hermione's train of thought. "I thought I'd find you here" he said, walking over to stand in front of her.  
"What do you want now? I've already listened to the Malfoy family history 64 times today" Hermione muttered weakly, resting her head down on her knees.  
"Dumbledore said we have to spend time together. I didn't take you for a rule breaker Granger" Draco said dusting off his robes and staring down at Hermione with disdain.  
"I'm not" Hermione said quickly lifting her head to look at Draco. "Dumbledore created the Partner Project, not the Draco Malfoy project! We're supposed to be getting to know each other, and in case you didn't get the message that means it's two- sided Malfoy!"  
"I don't need to hear your life story. I already know you Mudblood" Draco sneered looking down at Hermione. Hermione's face flushed red with anger and she stood up and glared at him.  
"You don't know anything about me" Hermione hissed angrily, her fists balling up unconsciously.  
"Sure I do" Draco said taking a step closer to her so that their chests were almost touching. "I know you're a poor, Mudblood know-it-all who only scores top marks by sucking up to every professor in the entire school. Everyone knows that people only keep you around so that you can do their coursework for them. You think your pureblood friends would willingly associate with a dirty Mudblood if they weren't getting anything out of it?" Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she took a step back from Draco. She knew that she shouldn't let his words affect her, but his voice was filled with so much hate that she couldn't help but take his words to heart. Rather than lose face and cry in front of him, Hermione turned on heel and ran from the library, past students who looked at her with concern, until she reached her dormitory where she cast a silencing charm on her bed, drew her curtains closed and cried herself to sleep.

[Katie and Marcus]

If one were to walk past the Great Lake, they would stumble upon a very content Katie Bell, and a very disappointed Marcus Flint. Marcus had spent the better part of the morning trying everything he could think of to provoke Katie, but his efforts were proving to be useless. Katie refused to take any bait and was a surprisingly good sport about all his insults, giving just as good as she got. By the time they ended up at the Great Lake, Marcus had given up trying to start a fight with her and instead dejectedly lay down on the grass beside her to stare at the cloudy sky.  
"Why are we even out here? It's freezing" Marcus complained loudly after several minutes of silence, the November cold forcing him to stuff his hands into his pockets in an effort to retain heat.  
"Because we're waiting" Katie replied, eyes trained on the sky.  
"Waiting for who you daft witch?" Marcus asked sitting up and looking around." There isn't a person out here except us". Katie laughed loudly and while Marcus was momentarily surprised by how nice it sounded, he hid his appreciation by shooting a glare at the giggling blonde.  
"We're not waiting for a person. We're waiting for it to rain".  
"To rain?!" Marcus shouted incredulously. "Have you lost your mind? I don't know or care about your reasons, but I'm not spending the next three weeks in the infirmary with pneumonia because some daft with wanted to lie in the rain!" Marcus started to stand up but was stopped by Katie placing her arm on his bicep.  
"Wait!" she said holding him in place. "Dumbledore said we have to get to know each other, and that's what I'm trying to do".  
"By getting me ill?" Marcus huffed, crossing his arms in irritation.  
"Just trust me" Katie said pulling him back down so that he was once again lying beside her. "I do this all the time". As the first few drops of rain started to fall Katie pulled out her wand and pointed it at Marcus muttering something under her breath. He immediately felt the biting November chill become replaced by a warming sensation that he quickly recognized as a heating spell. Katie then pointed her wand at the sky and he noticed she must have cast some sort of invisible bubble around them because the rain was coming down but nothing was hitting them. Marcus was so caught up in watching the rain come down in torrents that he didn't notice Katie had turned on her side to face him. "I like laying out here when it rains, it helps me think. No one knows that but you, so you better come up with something good to tell me about yourself" Katie said offering Marcus a rare smile. Despite being somewhat touched by the gesture, Marcus couldn't let his Slytherin reputation fail him so he responded to Katie's friendly smile with a sneer.  
"What makes you think I'll tell you anything about myself?" Marcus asked turning away from Katie and looking back at the sky.  
"Because I don't think you're as bad as people say you are" Katie said matter of factly.  
"Well you're in for a rude awakening Bell" Marcus said closing his eyes, and putting his hands behind his head.  
"So you're not gonna cooperate?" Katie asked quietly sitting up and staring at Marcus.  
"Nope" he replied smugly relaxing back into the grass.  
"Suit yourself" Katie responded laying back down. As soon as he heard her lay down Marcus found himself surrounded by cold and soaked by the pouring rain. He sprang up in shock and turned to face the woman beside him.  
'Bell!" Marcus screamed in anger trying and failing to touch her through the shield she had placed around herself. "Let me back in you stupid witch!"  
"Are you going to cooperate?" she asked looking at him from her spot on the grass.  
"Let me back in" Marcus hissed, his face turning red.  
"Goodbye Marcus. I'll see you tomorrow" Katie said closing her eyes and effectively ignoring Marcus who glared at her before quickly running back to the castle for shelter.


	4. Chapter 4

[Alicia and Terence]  
"So….." said Alicia awkwardly as she stared down at her clasped hands. She was currently sitting on the edge of a desk in the transfigurations classroom staring at the floor.  
"So" Terence replied from the other side of the room where he was laying across two desks staring at the ceiling. After their initial sexual attraction had been satisfied from their intense make out session there wasn't much left to fill their time together.  
"Terrence, right?" asked Alicia attempting to start some sort of dialogue. Terence mealy raised an eyebrow and leant up on his elbows so he could look at her. Alicia flushed under his gaze and nervously laughed. "I just- I wanted to make sure. You know, there's Terry Boot, and Theodore Nott, and they all sound so similar I just wanted to make sure I had your name right." Alicia mumbled the last bit as her face turned bright red in embarrassment.  
"You just spent the last fifteen minutes snogging my face off, and now you want to know if you've got my name right?" Terence asked smirking at the witch sitting across from him.  
"Yes. I mean no. I mean, I don't know, this is harder than I thought" Alicia said flopping back dramatically to lie down on the desk she was perched on.  
"It doesn't have to be" Terence replied sitting up on his desk. "Not if we don't make it awkward."  
"You think so?" Alicia asked. "I mean we've spent the last six years being taught to hate each other on principal alone. You think we can just forget it all that quickly?"  
"Of course not" said Terence walking towards the door of the classroom. "I just meant this doesn't have to be any more awkward than we make it. For the rest of this project we can forget about Slytherins and Gryffindors and just be us, Alicia and Terry. Or was it Theodore?" he said laughing as Alicia threw a quill in his direction. "I want to see what everyone else has gotten up to. You coming?" he asked holding the door open and smiling when Alicia gathered her stuff up without complaint.  
Alicia followed Terence down the corridor where they passed Harry Potter who was sitting against a window ledge tiredly holding up a large pink hand mirror while Pansy Parkinson touched up her makeup. When he noticed Alicia and Terence passing, he caught Alicia's eye and desperately mouthed "Help me!" While Alicia brought her hand up to her mouth to stifle her giggles, Terence lacked her tact and loudly laughed catching Pansy's attention.  
"What's so funny Terence?" Pansy asked, putting the tube of lip gloss down beside Harry.  
"Nothing Pansy", Terence replied with a grin. "Just glad to see you're taking advantage of the Partner Project."

[Adrian and Angelina]  
"Aren't you the luckiest girl in all of Hogwarts?" Adrian asked as he sat beside Angelina on the Quidditch pitch.  
"You mean because I'm smart, and pretty, and better than you at Quidditch?" Angelina asked, turning to smirk at Adrian.  
"Not quite" he replied with a laugh. "I meant because you get to spend the next three months with me. Day and Night. Monday to Sunday and then back again. Think of all the things we could do" he said raising a hand up to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear. Adrian silently cheered when he heard the slight hitch in her breath from the action.  
"It makes me very excited" Angelina replied using her own hand to caress the side of his muscular arm. "We could study, or experiment with different ways to style my hair." Adrian's' grin slipped off his face with her words, but Angelina was unperturbed. "If you're really good" she continued, waiting until Adrian was hanging off her every word "I'll even beat you in Quidditch." Angelina laughed at the unhappy look on the resident playboys face before turning her attention to the other couple on the pitch: Alexander Montague, and Lavender Brown.  
"Fine" said Adrian coolly, breaking her train of thought. "I guess I'll just have to take my services elsewhere. And believe me Angelina, these are exemplary services."  
"You know" Angelina started, reaching up to straighten his tie "you're not as charming as you think you are."  
"Oh really" Adrian asked raising an eyebrow. "You think you can do better than me?"  
"I know I can."  
"Alright" said Adrian with a grin. "See Montague and Brown over there?" Angelina nodded in the affirmative. "We go over there and try our luck with both of them."  
"And what do I get when I win?" Angelina asked with a slow grin, already excited at the prospect of competition.  
"When you lose" Adrian corrected with a scoff. "Whoever gets rejected first has to do what the other one wants for the rest of the day. Deal?" Angelina raised her hand to meet his, and they shook hands cementing the deal.  
The walk over to the other side of the pitch didn't take long, and before either of them could really formulate a game plan, they had reached Montague and Lavender. Lavender was sulking a few feet away from the handsome Slytherin who had refused to engage in any form of conversation, or flirtation despite her best effort. As a result of this, it was extremely easy for Adrian to sit beside his target and acquire her complete attention.  
"Hello Lavender" he said sitting beside the brunette.  
"Oh, hi Pucey. How are you?" Lavender stuttered, her face beginning to flush under Adrian's intense gaze.  
"I'm fine darling, but you don't look too good. Has my brute of a housemate been treating you alright?" Adrian asked, easily feigning concern for Lavender before turning to wink at Montague who was looking over suspiciously.  
"He doesn't want anything to do with me! It must be because I'm ugly" Lavender cried before bursting into loud ugly sobs. Adrian internally rolled his eyes at her theatrics, but put on a distraught expression before slinging an arm around the sobbing girl and pulling her against his chest.  
"There, there love" he soothed, rubbing circles in her back while sticking his tongue out at Angelina who was getting increasingly frustrated that Montague was taking her blatant flirting as their usual banter. "You're beautiful." Lavender looked up at Adrian with big watery eyes that were surrounded by smeared mascara.  
"I am?" she asked hopefully.  
"Of course" Adrian replied pulling back down so her face was once again against his chest. He muffled a laugh behind a cough after seeing Angelina stand up in a huff and cuff a grinning Montague against the side of the head before storming over to their previous spot on the opposite side of the pitch. "If it's alright with you," Adrian murmured against Lavenders hair "I'd like to show you just how beautiful I think you are."  
Angelina sat waiting for no more than two minutes before Adrian walked back to where she was sitting and flopped down beside her.  
"What went wrong darling?" he asked with a grin.  
"Quidditch." Angelina replied miserably. "All that daft twit wanted to do was banter about Quidditch! I tried everything" she said dropping her head into her hands.  
"There there" said Adrian rubbing her back the same way he had just done to Lavender. "It's alright we can't all be as charming as I am."  
"You didn't!" Angelina said incredulously lifting her head up to look at him.  
"A deal's, a deal" replied Adrian standing up and offering a hand down to help pull her up. "Since I've got a date with Lavender, we better hurry up and get my transfiguration homework done now, don't you think?"

[Ginny and Blaise]  
"Have you ever been to Italy? It's quite nice there" Blaise said staring at Ginny who continued to refrain from making eye contact with him. He was currently sitting on the edge of Ginny's bed while she was sprawled out on her back throwing a mini toy quaffle in the air and catching it.  
"No." Ginny replied coldly, eyes locked on the falling and rising quaffle.  
"Oh" Blaise muttered disappointedly. "So, what's your favorite color?" he asked, slightly leaning forward expectantly.  
"Don't have one" she replied curtly, ignoring Blaise's huff of annoyance.  
"Well do you have anything you want to contribute" he snapped, irritated he had been attempting for more than an hour to engage in conversation with his partner while she remained unresponsive.  
"Loads, actually" said Ginny sitting up quickly and looking angrily at Blaise. "How about we start with how you and your friends have always treated me and my family like garbage? We can talk about all the things your precious Malfoy has done to Ron, we can talk about all the times your housemates have called me a blood traitor just because I don't believe in your blood supremacy bullshit. If you really want, we can even talk about how unlucky you are because you got stuck with the poor weasel!" Ginny shouted before getting off the bed and sitting on top of Alicia's crate on the other side of the room.  
"Excuse me?" said Blaise angrily walking over to where Ginny was sitting. "In case you noticed, I wasn't on that list of people who've done things to you. I don't discriminate Ginny", Blaise said hurt that she would think that little of him without even getting to know him.  
"Fine" Ginny replied coldly. "You're right. You didn't do anything to me. But you didn't stop anything either. You never intervened when your housemates said hurtful things, and you never stopped Malfoy from being a colossal prick to Ron either. You may not have done anything to directly hurt me, but you've never done anything to help me."  
"I can't control my housemates" Blaise snapped, frustrated at her accusatory tone.  
"No" Ginny said looking away from Blaise. "You can't. But you can control yourself. You could have spoken up, and the fact that you didn't makes you just as bad as they are."  
"I'm trying now!" said Blaise, lightly lifting up Ginny's chin so that she was looking at him. "I'm trying to get to know you, so that maybe I can help and my housemates won't be so cruel to you anymore." Rather than responding with gratitude as Blaise had expected Ginny surprised him by slapping his hand away from her face and standing up quickly.  
"I am NOT a charity case" she hissed looking down angrily at Blaise.  
"That's not what I meant!" he said, quickly backtracking and trying to fix the situation. "I just meant you could use some kindness!"  
"Get out." Ginny hissed pointing at the door. They were both so caught up in the argument that neither of them noticed Katie and a soaking wet Marcus standing in the doorway.  
"Ginny wait!" Blaise said taking a step towards her.  
"Out!" she screamed throwing the closest object, which just happened to be the plush quaffle at him.  
"Blaise" Marcus said gruffly surprising both Ginny and Marcus who turned to their friends in the doorway, "Let's go. It's not worth wasting your breath on these Gryffindor bints. The whole lot of them are mad anyways." Surprisingly enough, Katie laughed from beside Marcus and mentioned something about a drying charm before closing the door on the two Slytherins and walking over to Ginny. On the other side of the door Blaise turned to face his older friend who was leaving a trail of water droplets behind them as they walked back to the Slytherin common room.  
"How long does this project last for?" Blaise asked miserably, still trying to figure out how his conversation with Ginny had gone so bad, so quick.  
"Too long" Marcus muttered as the boys lapsed into a comfortable silence until they reached their common room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi new readers and old readers (if any of you are still here). I’m really sorry I let this story die. I found a copy of it on my old computer and decided to give it another go. To be completely honest, I have no idea where to take this, so if anyone wants to get on board and maybe be a co-writer or offer some suggestions for the plot don’t hesitate to send me a message and we’ll talk!

“Girls!” Alicia shouted, bursting in to the dormitory and startling its occupants as the door slammed against the wall behind her.  
“Bloody hell, Alicia!” Katie hissed as she cast a quick cleaning spell on Ginny’s bed sheets where she had dropped the nail polish she was applying on the younger girl.   
“Sorry” Alicia responded with a grin, closing the door behind her as she grabbed a pillow off her bed and threw it at the sleeping Angelina. “Rise and shine Angie! I’ve got big news” she laughed, unperturbed by the glare the sleepy girl was sending her way. “Where’s Mione?” she asked, finally noticing the absence of their younger friend.  
“Silencing charm” Ginny replied, nodding towards the closed curtains of Hermione’s four poster bed. “She’s been in there since she got back from her time with Malfoy. He must have done something to upset her.”  
“Well lucky for our little smarty-pants” Alicia said, as she disarmed the silencing charm on Hermione’s bed and threw opened the curtains revealing the younger girl curled up in a ball asleep on top of the covers. “I’ve got something to cheer her up.” Hermione got a much gentler wake-up than Angelina had as Alicia threw herself on the bed beside the younger girl and gently shook her awake before pulling her into a hug when she noticed Hermione’s puffy red eyes. “Don’t let him get to you Mione” she whispered as she wiped off the other girls face. Hermione smiled gratefully at Alicia as she leaned back and sat up properly on the bed.  
“What’s going on” she asked curiously as she stretched her arms above her head to relieve some of the stiffness in her body.  
“Dunno” Angelina replied tying her now messy bed-hair back. “This crazy bint comes in here screaming and throwing pillows at people, but still hasn’t told us what’s happening.”  
“I was just getting to that!” Alicia protested, climbing off Hermione’s bed and standing in the center of the room. “We have been cordially invited” she began, before pausing for dramatic effect “To play a rousing game of truth or dare with the Slytherin boys!”  
“Brilliant!” Katie replied excitedly at the same time Hermione and Ginny both loudly shouted “No!”  
“Oh come on girls! It’ll be fun. Truth or dare with fit blokes. What’s not to like about that?”  
“Easy for you to say!” Ginny protested. “Your partner doesn’t think you’re a charity case.”  
“Or a suck up and a know it all” Hermione added huffing as she recalled her last failed interaction with Draco.  
“Maybe Leesh has a point” Angelina said thoughtfully, crossing her long legs in front of her. “I mean, three months is a long time, wouldn’t it be much better if we at least tried to make this as easy as possible. If they’re extending an olive branch by inviting us, then I say we take it.”  
“Seconded!” exclaimed Katie, bouncing up from her bed, already thinking of all the intrusive questions and dares she could give Marcus.  
“Thirded!” replied Alicia with a grin, as she dragged Ginny off the bed and went to work on getting Hermione up. “Come on kids! Listen to your elders!”  
“ And besides” added Angelina, standing up as well, “you know we would never let Draco or Blaise do anything to either of you while we were there.”  
“Promise?” asked Hermione as she ran a hand through her bushy hair and tucked it behind her ear.   
“Of course!” Katie replied with a grin, slinging her arm over the younger girl’s shoulder as she led her out of the room with Angelina, Alicia and Ginny following close behind them. Before they knew it, the girls were knocking on the door of the Slytherin common room where Terrence had told Alicia to meet them. The door slowly swung open, and the girls were faced with a grinning Adrian Pucey.  
“Well” he began, already turning up the charm, “Isn’t it a treat to have so many beautiful women in our common room at once.”  
“Save it, Romeo” Angelina responded with a snort as she pushed a giggling Katie, Hermione, and Alicia ahead of her into the room. Ginny, who was trailing behind Angelina was about to follow the other girls when Adrian placed a hand on her arm and held her back for a second.  
“Blaise told us what happened. I know he must have said some things to offend you, but he really means well. Try to give him a second chance darling. He won’t admit it, but we can tell he feels awful about how things went down.” Ginny looked into Adrian’s eyes, and couldn’t find any signs that he was messing with her, so she sighed and crossed her arms.  
“Fine” she huffed. “One more chance.”  
“Atta girl!” Adrian replied with a grin steering her over to where the others were already seated in a circle on the floor of the empty common room.  
“Where is everyone?” Angelina asked, turning to survey the empty room.  
“Banished” Terrence replied with a grin, scooting over so that Ginny could sit between him and Draco.  
“But why would they agree to that?” Hermione asked, doubtful that Slytherins could be so compliant.  
“Perks of being quidditch team captain”, Marcus said, glaring at a giggling Katie.  
“You’re not still mad are you Marcus?” she asked laughing harder as his glare only intensified.   
“Can we get back on track?” Blaise asked as he pulled a box of chocolate frogs off the couch and passed it down to Alicia who was seated beside him.  
“Of course” said Adrian, pushing Terrence over so he could reach behind him to grab an empty firewhisky bottle. “I don’t think everybody knows the rules since it’s a muggle game, so why don’t you go ahead and explain them Hermione?” Adrian asked smiling encouragingly at the younger girl.  
“S-sure” Hermione stuttered aware that all eyes, including Draco’s, were suddenly on her. “Basically, when it’s your turn you spin the bottle so it lands on someone and offer them the choice of truth or dare. If they pick truth, they have to honestly answer whatever question you ask, and if they pick dare they have to do whatever you challenge them to do. If they refuse the dare, then they have the option of taking a second dare which is usually worse than the first”  
“How do muggles make sure that people answer honestly?” Blaise asked interested as he leaned slightly forward.  
“I guess you can’t be 100 percent sure.” Hermione replied after thinking it over. “You just have to give people the benefit of the doubt.   
“Lucky for us, we don’t have to play by those rules” Terrence said with a grin as he pulled a bottle out of his robes and placed it in the center of the circle beside the firewhisky bottle.   
“Is that veritaserum?” Katie asked excitedly as Angelina grabbed and unscrewed the bottle as the two girls peered inside.  
“Of course it is” Draco replied rolling his eyes. “How else could we make sure everyone was being honest?”  
“Enough talk” barked Marcus, taking the bottle back from Angelina and placing it back in the center. “Are you lot going to babble all day or are we ever actually going to play?”  
“Patience is a virtue, Flint”, Terrence said as he grabbed the empty bottle. “I’ll spin first”. After what felt like an eternity of spinning, the bottle finally slowed down and landed on Draco. “Truth or dare Malfoy?”  
“Truth. I’m not letting a prat like you make me embarrass myself” Draco responded smugly reaching for the veritaserum.  
“Drink up!” said Alicia with a laugh as Draco took a large sip of the potion. Terrence looked at his younger friend before his eyes slowly wandered to the bushy haired witch sitting across the circle. He mentally cheered in anticipation before turning back to his friend with a wolfish smile.  
“Malfoy, who do you think is the most brilliant student in your year?” Draco’s face immediately turned bright red in embarrassment, as he knew the potion made would make him unable to stop himself from responding honestly.  
“Granger of course” he hissed out, avoiding eye contact with Hermione who’s face had turned its own shade of embarrassed red as the others in the circle whistled and cooed in response to Draco’s response. “It’s my turn now” he said quickly spinning the bottle, eager to get the attention off him. “Bell, truth or dare?”  
“Dare!” replied Katie rubbing her hands together excitedly as the other ooh’d and laughed at her bravery.  
“Snog Terrence” Malfoy said smugly to the shocked girl ignoring the simultaneously outraged “What?” from Katie, Alicia, and surprisingly Marcus. “You heard me. Snog Terrence. Does anyone have a problem with that?” Draco watched as Alicia sat back a smattering of red dusting her cheeks at being caught protesting. Marcus on the other hand, gave Draco a glare that promised retribution before turning back to look at Katie who crawled forward to meet Terrence halfway. The group watched with baited breath as Katie leaned forward and Terrence pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before cupping the side of her face, the air in the room suddenly feeling much heavier. The two had their eyes closed with only a breath between them before promptly springing apart as the common room door swung open and Montague and Warrington walked in.  
“Well, well”, said Warrington, walking over to where the group was sitting on the floor. “What do we have here?”  
“Nothing” replied Flint gruffly, though he looked slightly relieved at the interruption.   
“That’s not what it looked like” said Montague, leering at the Gryffindor girls. “Johnson, you lot are having an orgy and you didn’t invite me? I’m hurt.”  
“First off, it wasn’t an orgy you daft prat. And second, even if it was what makes you think I’d want you there?” Angelina challenged raising an eyebrow at the muscular Slytherin in front of her before crossing her arms.  
“Funny, it seems like that’s exactly what you were looking for this morning” Montague said smirking as Angelina spluttered when the rest of the group turned to her in shock.   
“Alright” interjected Adrian, feeling slightly guilty that he was the one who suggested the dare to Angelina earlier. “I think it’s about time we call it a day.”  
“Good idea” said Blaise standing up and grabbing the firewhisky bottle and the veritaserum. As the rest of the group got up, Katie couldn’t help but notice that Alicia had a strange expression on her face.  
“Are you okay Leesh?” she asked walking towards the other girl.  
“M’fine”, Alicia responded curtly as she brushed past the other girl and led her housemates out the door of the Slytherin common room. As Katie followed behind them she couldn’t help but notice the sinking feeling in her stomach as she tried to figure out what it was she had done wrong.


End file.
